Contents

WikiCarpedia (WICA) general guidelines

I want to contribute

The ability to make changes on WikiCarpedia is currently restricted to authorised users only. If you see anything that you feel is incorrect, please raise it on the Carcassonne Central forum where it can be discussed and agreement made as to what should be updated here.

What to put in WikiCarpedia

WikiCarpedia is about facts. That means rules, variants, history, notable events, people and companies. House rules is as far as it goes beyond this, as long as they do not blur the whole picture and do not complicate it for the average player.

There are many other places to look for things like strategy guides or news.

New/old edition separation

At the time of WikiCarpedia creation, the New Edition (aka Carcassonne II) has already been 3 years on the market. There is now a large group of Carcassonne fans that have never played the old edition. A restart of the complete annotated rules (CAR) is in place, but keep in mind that not all players are interested in the long and complicated history of Carcassonne 1.

Naturally this approach means that a lot of things may have to be written twice (eg. Rules for main expansions). One of the benefits of this is that content regarding the old edition can have annotations that are not necessary for the new edition, while those for the new edition can have updated graphics and a more streamlined approach.

I have a question/issue regarding particular page (but I am not an editor)

How to create new page

Please read the User's Guide. The easiest way is to click one of the red links on the main page - a red link means the page has not yet been created. You will be directed to the new page creation.

The recommended way to create a new page for Mediawiki is to create a link on an already existing page (consult user guide on how to make links) and then click it to be directed to the new page creation.

How to edit a page

Please read the User's Guide.
Check any of the existing pages by going into edit mode to look for guidance. If you have any more question do not hesitate to ask any question on Carcassonne Central Forum. Any frequently asked question will be addressed here.

How to edit main page

As any other page, except that this is allowed only to users promoted to administrators.

I would like to do some testing

Each user has their own page (eg User:msasinski) and associated discussion tab on which to try things out.

http://wikicarpedia.com/index.php/User:username

You can go directly to it from your username by clicking on your username in the top right of any screen.

How to name pictures

Please follow this convention when naming pictures for new edition:

code_description.xxx

for old edition add C1 in the middle:

code_C1_description.xxx

Code - It is up to you, but it should uniquely describe expansion and be recognizable. Use it consistently through the page.

Description - Up to you, but should be recognizable. If picture is for tile reference it may be simply 01, 02, 03 etc.

{{BeginTileList|width}}
{{Tile|image|text|padding-right|padding-bottom}} <-- Replicated as many times as needed
{{EndTileList}}

The parameters used are explained next:

Template BeginTileList:

Width: Optional. Defaults to "700px". By changing the width, the number of tiles per row can be adjusted. Common sample values can be:

700px: 5 tiles per row

600px: 4 tiles per row

500px: 3 tiles per row

Template Tile:

Image: Mandatory. Filename of the image to display.

Text: Optional. Defaults to "x1". Text included after the image. If needed, &nbsp; characters may be added at the beginning of the text to provided additional spacing.

Padding-right: Optional. Defaults to "15px". Padding added to the right-hand side of the image to control horizontal spacing between consecutive images.

Padding-bottom: Optional. Defaults to "15px". Padding added to the bottom side of the image to control vertical spacing between consecutive rows.

How to insert wrap-enabled blocks (template)

The same layout approach provided for tile distributions can be applied to any HTML block (DIVs, TABLES or images) so they can be displayed on a row and wrap when necessary. If blocks are of different heights, they will be top aligned.

This mechanism is used, for example, to display framed boxes used for examples on a row instead of displaying them in a column (default layout)

{{BeginBlockList|600px}}
{{Block|
[[File:Inns_C1_01.jpg|frame|none|I'm block one]] And I can do a lot
}}
{{StartBlock|200px}}
{|
|-
| style="width: 105px" | [[File:Inns_C1_02.jpg|frame|none|I'm block two]]
| style="width: 95px" | And I can do more
|}
{{EndBlock}}
{{Block|
[[File:Inns_C1_03.jpg|frame|none|I'm block three]] And I can do even better
}}
{{StartBlock|200px}}
{|
|-
| style="width: 105px" | [[File:Inns_C1_04.jpg|frame|none|I'm block four]]
| style="width: 95px" | And I can do okay
|}
{{EndBlock}}
{{Block|
[[File:Inns_C1_05.jpg|frame|none|I'm block five]] And I can do it
}}
{{Block|
[[File:Inns_C1_06.jpg|frame|none|I'm block six]] And I can do music
}}
{{EndBlockList}}

I'm block one

And I can do a lot

I'm block two

And I can do more

I'm block three

And I can do even better

I'm block four

And I can do okay

I'm block five

And I can do it

I'm block six

And I can do music

The templates have the following usage:

{{BeginBlockList|width}}
{{Block|content|padding-right|padding-bottom}} <-- Replicated as many times as needed
{{StartBlock|width|padding-right|padding-bottom}} <-- Replicated as many times as needed
content
{{EndBlock}}
{{EndBlockList}}

Block can warp images, text and plan HTML tables with no attributes or styling. For complex tables or content, it is recommended to use StartBlock + content + EndBlock as the MediaWiki parser chokes with parameters containing the pipe symbol (|) and the equal sign (=).

The parameters used are explained next:

Template BeginBlockList:

Width: Optional. Defaults to "700px". By changing the width, the number of blocks per row can be adjusted.

Template Block:

Contents: Mandatory. Content to be displayed.

Padding-right: Optional. Defaults to "15px". Padding added to the right-hand side of the image to control horizontal spacing between consecutive images.

Padding-bottom: Optional. Defaults to "15px". Padding added to the bottom side of the image to control vertical spacing between consecutive rows.

Template StartBlock:

Width: Optional. Width of container DIV. Defaults to 250px.

Padding-right: Optional. Defaults to "15px". Padding added to the right-hand side of the image to control horizontal spacing between consecutive images.

Padding-bottom: Optional. Defaults to "15px". Padding added to the bottom side of the image to control vertical spacing between consecutive rows.

How to insert icons (template)

Please refer to Icons page and use customized toolbar (icons 2 to 6 from the left):

- Questions ...

{{IconPadlock}} - Questions ...

- Footnotes ...

{{IconHouse}} - Footnotes ...

- Footnotes ...

{{IconArrow}} - Footnotes ...

- Interpretations ...

{{IconWorld}} - Interpretations ...

- Fully ...

{{IconBook}} - Fully ...

How to insert footnotes (template)

Please use customized toolbar ( R button ):

For example:

The teacher meeple is placed on the school.<ref> {{IconWorld}} If playing with the dragon, the teacher will have to be placed on one or the other of the school tiles (i.e., not in the middle), as he can be eaten by the dragon.</ref>

Text within ref tags will be put on the bottom. Add following text at the very end of the page, where there are footnotes (before translate tags). You can use the WICA toolbar (footprint icon).

{{FootnoteIconPara_en}}

How to enter years (template)

You can use following template to enter years, so they are changed into links to timeline page. You can also use calendar icon from customized toolbar.

Color coding the rules (template)

Carcassonne 2 manual consists of color coded parts. How to use them:

{{RulesPlacingTile|1=====|2=Placing a tile|
3=When you draw a Land tile with a fruit-bearing tree (Tree tile), you place it according to the normal rules. Then, you place a stack with 4 fruit tokens (of the same fruit type) on top of the Tree tile...
}}

Placing a tile

When you draw a Land tile with a fruit-bearing tree (Tree tile), you place it according to the normal rules. Then, you place a stack with 4 fruit tokens (of the same fruit type) on top of the Tree tile...

Frequently asked question box (template)

Default width (400px)

{{FAQ|If the fairy is on the same tile as the losing heretic or monk in a challenge, does the player still score the bonus 3 points?
|When a challenge is resolved (that is, when someone has won), both followers are returned to the player, so no one stands next to the fairy. [At the point that a challenge is resolved and one participant “scores” zero, the building that participant is in will be incomplete. Therefore, strictly speaking, that participant does not actually take part in “scoring”—say, in the way that a player without the majority in a city does—and so does not score the bonus points—ed.]
}}

Question: If the fairy is on the same tile as the losing heretic or monk in a challenge, does the player still score the bonus 3 points?

Answer: When a challenge is resolved (that is, when someone has won), both followers are returned to the player, so no one stands next to the fairy. [At the point that a challenge is resolved and one participant “scores” zero, the building that participant is in will be incomplete. Therefore, strictly speaking, that participant does not actually take part in “scoring”—say, in the way that a player without the majority in a city does—and so does not score the bonus points—ed.]

Other widths

Include parameter "3=XXXpx" when invoking the template. That parameter defaults to "400px" as seen above.

{{FAQ|3=600px|If the fairy is on the same tile as the losing heretic or monk in a challenge, does the player still score the bonus 3 points?
|When a challenge is resolved (that is, when someone has won), both followers are returned to the player, so no one stands next to the fairy. [At the point that a challenge is resolved and one participant “scores” zero, the building that participant is in will be incomplete. Therefore, strictly speaking, that participant does not actually take part in “scoring”—say, in the way that a player without the majority in a city does—and so does not score the bonus points—ed.]
}}

Question: If the fairy is on the same tile as the losing heretic or monk in a challenge, does the player still score the bonus 3 points?

Answer: When a challenge is resolved (that is, when someone has won), both followers are returned to the player, so no one stands next to the fairy. [At the point that a challenge is resolved and one participant “scores” zero, the building that participant is in will be incomplete. Therefore, strictly speaking, that participant does not actually take part in “scoring”—say, in the way that a player without the majority in a city does—and so does not score the bonus points—ed.]

Workflow Page Categories

There are three stages all together. During the initial creation of the pages for the wiki, please add one of the first two following tags at the foot of the page to show which stage the document is currently at.

Under Construction - an initial stage when the text, graphic and layout is being worked on by one or more contributors; this may be the conversion of existing content from the CAR, or creating new content for new expansions, etc.

Completed - the original contributor(s) sets this status once he has finished the creation of the page and feels they can do no more at this point

Checked - a different person than contributor sets this status after checking the completed page for obvious spelling and grammar errors, badly imported text, non-standard layouts, missing footnotes and images (from CAR content conversion), etc. For new expansions this can extend to reviewing the actual content, but may be dependent on the knowledge of the individual carrying out the checking.

This 3 stage process will help identify which pages are ready to be proof checked, and those that have, effectively, been signed off and handed over to the community to review, comment, and update.

List of pages that have been completed - this page will contain an automatically generated list of pages that are completed in the English language so long as they contain the appropriate Category entry at the foot of each page - please include

[[Category:Completed]]

List of pages that have been proof checked - this page will contain an automatically generated list of pages that have had a proof check in the English language, so long as they contain the appropriate Category entry at the foot of each page - please include

[[Category:Checked]]

Edition Categories

Some of the document output utilities rely on the existence of groups of pages created by the use of Categories. With that in mind, several Categories have been created, relating to the different Editions of Carcassonne, and whether an Expansion is Major, Minor, and/or Promo. The appropriate Categories should be added at the foot of the page.

Edition

For example, each expansion should have either

Category:First Edition, or

Category:Second Edition

This will also apply to the Base Game pages.

Minor, Major or Promo

Expansion will be either Major or Minor, based on entry on the Main Page. The four options are

Category:First Edition Major Expansion

Category:First Edition Minor Expansion

Category:Second Edition Major Expansion

Category:Second Edition Minor Expansion

Additionally, if the mini expansion is primarily a promotional item, such as Spiel Promos or Darmstadt Promo, there should be a category added

Category:First Edition Promo, or

Category:Second Edition Promo

In future, there may be new categories required to group pages together to help manage other activity on the site. Clicking on a Category at the foot of any page where it is present will take you to an automatically generated page showing all the pages in that Category. If it's not yet created, Saving it will create it for the first time.

Page translation

To maintain consistency all over the WICA, we work with a flow from English to all other languages.
If you find any content error while translating; do not translate that part, but report the problem so we can tackle it from the English page to roll it out to all other languages to!

If you change it in the English version, please ask before submitting it as Checked and ready for translation. So it can be checked(by another person) and then rolled out to all other languages to.

For questions about translated pages, you can go to the according translator; See a list below of the translators:

How to create page in my language

The translation process may seem complicated at first, but believe me, it is not. Just read the following steps and try it once. If the page already have language selector, you can go directly to point 3.

Create new page and fill it with english content

(THIS IS MOST IMPORTANT PART) put all the content in translate tags

<translate>
Fréttinga is a small municipality in MungoLand, located on the BaMungo island.
It hosts a population of about 400 people. It has some agriculture and fishing.
Tourists like to visit it in the summer time.
== Services ==
It doesn't have many services. There is a shop and car ferry visits the island
from mainland once a day.
</translate>

Note that you don't need to add markers like <!--T:1-->.

under the page title you can find link "mark this page for translation"

language selector appears on top of the page

follow link "translate this page" at the top, follow the easy wizard

new language will be available in language selector after the translation

If the English version was changed after translation, the sentence "This page has changes since it was last marked for translation." appears at the top. Click "marked for translation" part and decide if you want to translate it again (since some new parts may have been added).

Naturally every native speakers of their respective language are responsible for their approach to translation. Eg. names of expansions not officially translated to particular language can be translated on WikiCarPedia or not (address of the page still need to be kept in english).

How do I know what is left to translate

How translate:

There are two kinds of links, links that leads to other pages or year templates.

You can find both while translating a page, as there are sometimes notes about other expansions and with that we link to that certain page, where the information stands.

Pages

So this is a link: Castles in Germany (1st edition). This link is linking currently to the English page of "Castles in Germany (1st edition)", we want to link to the language we are translating in; So in this example to Polish.

While translating the links will look like this:

[[Castles in Germany (1st edition)]] OR this [[Castles in Germany (1st edition)|Castles in Germany]]

Now it needs to be changed into a link linking to the Polish version, so I put "/pl" behind the first part and change the name in the second part to the Polish name of the expansion or page.

I am getting error when translating

Saving the translation failed: This namespace is reserved for content page translations. The page you are trying to edit does not seem to correspond any page marked for translation.

Just wait a minute or two and retry translation. There is a job running in the background modifying special translation subpages. Let it do his job.

Why English is first language for every page

Translation on WikiCarpedia is executed by use of the Translation plugin. This means that one language always needs to be first and it decides on general structure on the page. On Wikipedia.org every language version is a completely different page on different wiki site. Unfortunately this is complicated technically and requires a lot of resources.

In the end if, for some reason, the given page structure is unacceptable for given translation, the original (English) page needs to be (carefully) reconstructed.

So again. Each page needs to be finished and checked in the English language before commencing translation.